All's Fair in Love, Happiness and Marriage Laws
by one.of.those.weasley.kids
Summary: Post-War Marriage Law story. The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and the rest of the Wizarding World begin to rebuild themselves after the war. Hermione goes to look for her parents. The Ministry enforces a Marriage Law. Fred lives. I'm not sure if this is going to be a Fremione or Romione yet, but I can assure you that this will be slower going that other stories similar to this.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I just wanted to assure you that no, I am not abandoning my Jily fanfic. I am currently stuck on where to take it and what to write, so I'm getting it out by beginning this! I know it's been awhile since we really updated the Jily fanfic, but don't worry, chapter 11 is under construction and should hopefully be done soon. If not, just yell at us to get writing and we will hopefully get to it. Not sure when it's going to be updated as finals week is coming up quickly (have about 2 weeks till death week), but maybe we'll finish the chapter as a way to relieve stress or get out of studying.. Anyways, I've been rambling.**

 **Please Read and Review! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine. It belongs to J.K. Rowling. I have some claim to the plot, but there are many others who also write this.**

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The war was over. For ever. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off all of our shoulders and you could see the change it made in others. People walked differently, acted differently and were more willing to look past their birth status to reach out and help those around them. But even though the war was over and there was much to celebrate, no one was celebrating. We had lost so many. Tonks, Remus, Colin, Lavender and many more. Fred almost died, after having a wall collapse on him, but was on the mend at Saint Mungo's. I can't express how relieved the Weasley's were when the doctor walked out and proclaimed that their tests had found nothing wrong other than many broken bones. They said that had the impact been hit by a Blasting curse, he would have been killed, but as it was dislodged by the wear and tear of the war, he got away with broken ribs, arms, and legs. He was extremely lucky and almost two weeks later, was quickly recovering as he should be with the aid of magic and was helping his twin work on repairing their shop.

Repairing. So many buildings, homes, towns, and lives had been destroyed and no one knew if they were going to be able to be repaired. The people of Hogsmeade were working day and night to return the town to the splendor it once had been. Wizards and witches across the country and into the United Kingdom and British Isles were helping each other out with repairs on anything they could. Houses were rebuilt, shops were reopened and lives were slowly, but surely going to return back to normal, we hoped. Hogwarts was also being rebuilt and I, along with my fellow peers, the staff and many parents of the students or the remaining people from the Battle of Hogwarts, were helping to get as much done as we could in order for the new school year to start on time, but there was still much to be done.

It was currently lunch break for those of us who were helping repair Hogwarts and I was out wandering the grounds. The inside of the castle was almost repaired, that had been the first thing on our list, leaving the outside still as chaotic as it had been during the war. There were singe marks in the grass where rogue curses had hit, here and there were dried blood stains, occasionally you could find an article of clothing or pieces of wands, but only little things. All of the bodies had been removed and buried in a cemetery on the Hogwarts grounds. It was quite beautiful considering the circumstances, with intricate iron gates and low stone walls surrounding it. Each tombstone was different in shape, as a token to all who had given their lives, and on each tombstone there was a name, the years of life and a small eulogy of the work that they had done. On the iron gates there was a small sign. It read, _Here lies those who saw the good in all the evil, who felt a need to protect it, and defended it to the end, even through death._

It was here that my wandering feet took me. I pushed open the iron gates and walked through the cemetery. I looked at the graves as I passed them by, reading but not registering. I didn't want to go through the pain again and I wasn't sure that I had any tears left to shed. I continued walking through the cemetery till I reached the middle where there was a lovely garden maze with a fountain in the center. It was here that I was headed. I just needed to get away from it all, not that the cemetery was the place to get away from it all, but it was quiet and serene, just what I needed.

I sat down on the edge of the fountain, looking at the water, but not at the same time. My mind was wandering through various topics, not really residing on one for too long. It was my way of coping. Thinking, but not thinking at the same time. I sat like that for a while, occasionally running my hand through the water and seeing the ripples it made.

A snap of a twig broke me out of my reverie. I whipped around, hand going for my wand, a reflex I had gotten from being on the run. I stopped when I saw who it was, Fred. He was chuckling as he looked at me. I blushed as I realized that I had almost taken him out with my wand. "Little jumpy eh 'Mione." I shook my head and gave a small smile at his nickname for me. "So what are you doing out here? I thought I was the only one brave enough to walk through the cemetery to come out here." He had sat down next to me on the edge of the fountain. "I needed some quiet, away from all of it. You?" Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Pretty much the same. I needed to get away from mum. She has a close watch over me, thinking I'm going to keel over dead any second." He gave a small chuckle and turned towards the fountain. "She has a reason to." Fred's head turned back to me, his steel blue eyes meeting mine. "You gave all of us quite the scare in Saint Mungo's." He sighed nodding his head, letting it drop back to the fountain.

I took this time to look over his features. His scars were fading, but the doctors said there were some that were never going to go completely, particularly the ones on his face. He had a faint scar that lead from the end of his left eyebrow to just above his cheekbone. George had joked that this was nature making up for his lost ear. Mrs. Weasley didn't find that too funny. He also had several scars that ran down the front of his chest from where the wall cut him. They looked very similar to the ones that Bill had gotten from Greyback.

Fred turned his gaze back to me and smirked when he noticed that I was staring. "See something you like 'Mione?" I blushed and ducked my head, turning my gaze down to the scar on my arm. 'Mudblood.' I guess Fred had followed my gaze because a couple seconds later I saw his hand reach out to trace the letters on my arm. "That little…" He paused, before giving a small laugh. "I'm glad that mum got to her and gave her what she deserved." I gave a small smile. I wasn't at all fond of the scar. When I had first gotten it, I had covered it up with concealment charms, until Ginny had sat me down and told me that I wasn't doing myself good by doing that and the only way I could move past it was to show it to the world. I think her words were "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Since then I had tried leaving it unconcealed. It was hard, but Ginny was right. Covering it up wasn't going to help me move on from it.

We elapsed back into silence, just sitting there and looking at the water of the fountain, appreciating the time away from all the hustle and bustle. The silence was short lived as we heard the bell ring, signaling that lunch was over. I sighed, not really wanting to go back. I saw Fred stand up from the corner of my eye. "Shall we?" Turning towards where he was, I saw he had a hand out to help me get up. "I suppose." I took his hand and got to my feet, before brushing myself off and beginning to walk back to the castle. We walked in silence, not really knowing what to talk about.

When we made it to the castle, we met up with Ron, Harry and Ginny. Ron came over grabbing my hand and giving me a kiss on the cheek. I gave a small smile to him. It had been like this since the kiss we had during the battle, somewhat a couple but not really. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in a relationship at the moment what with the war having just ended and me trying to come to terms with everything. "Where have you been? Couldn't find you at lunch." "I needed some peace and quiet away from everything." I gave him a smile and patted his arm. He nodded before turning to talk to Harry, shooting Fred a look. Ginny came over and looped her arm through mine. "You okay? You've been quiet recently." I gave her a small smile, something that was becoming my go to. Ginny looked me over, this girl was really to perceptive for her own good. She turned to Ron and Harry, nudging the latter. "Hermione and I are going to the bathroom. We'll meet you there." Harry and Ron just nodded absentmindedly, going back to their conversation as Ginny drug me off.

"Ginny, the bathroom was back there." She just waved me off. "I just told them that so they wouldn't follow us. We're going somewhere we can talk in private." She drug me up to the seventh floor and then headed off to the left. It didn't take me long to realize where we were going. "Ginny, I don't think it's usable." I thought back to the little skirmish Ron, Harry and I had had with Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. Surely the room had been destroyed. We reached the end of the corridor and Ginny began to pace back and forth in front of the wall, only stopping when a door appeared. She turned to me smirking before opening the door and dragging me inside. I was shocked. "Ginny, how… Shouldn't it have gotten destroyed?" Ginny turned to me and smirked again. "That's what we thought, but then yesterday," Ginny began to blush and I rolled my eyes. "Just stop there. I don't need to know what you and Harry get up to. He's like my brother. It'd be like me telling you what Ron and I did." Ginny made a face and shuddered before heading over to one of the couches and flopping down, gesturing for me to sit.

"Alright, now spill. Somethings bothering you. You haven't been this quiet since you began studying for OWLs." I shook my head and laughed. She really was too perceptive for her own good. "Hermione…" She was bouncing on her side of the couch, looking at me and silently begging me to begin. I sighed, figuring I might as well just tell her because I knew if I didn't she get it out of me some other way. "I just don't know anymore, you know?" I looked up to Ginny who just looked at me blankly. This was going to be harder than I thought. I adjusted myself so that I was sitting indian-style on the couch, facing Ginny. "What I'm about to tell you can't leave this room." I looked at Ginny, searching her face to make sure she wouldn't. "I'm serious Ginny. I haven't told anyone else about this and I don't think I could handle everyone learning about this quite yet." Ginny looked at me for a moment before giving in a nodding. Here goes nothing.

"I obliviated my parents." Well, that was one way to put it. Way to go Hermione. So much for easing into it. Ginny looked at me in shock, so I began to explain. "It was end of fourth year. After the display at the Quidditch World Cup, I knew my parents wouldn't be safe, so I obliviated them and sent them to Australia. You see, Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they have a daughter. Now that the war's over, I've been thinking of going down to Australia and restoring their memories, but-" "You can't." Ginny finished for me. I looked up at her and nodded before giving in to the tears that had been threatening to fall. Ginny held me as I sobbed, slowly rocking me back and forth. "Shhh… It'll be alright Hermione." She held me until I stopped crying, allowing me time to get it all out.

"Thanks, Ginny. I'm sorry." Ginny pulled me back in for a hug. "Hermione, there's nothing to be sorry for. You did what you had to do and it kept them safe." She pulled back to look at me. "That's the thing though. I don't know if they are safe. For all I know, they could have been killed. And I won't know until I go down there, but there's just so much going on right now that I don't feel I could. That and no one really knows what I did and I don't know how everyone would take it." I trailed off, looking at my hands. Ginny reached a hand out, resting it on my arm. "That's not all that's bothering you though, is it." This girl. She could give Rita Skeeter a run for her money with her ability to figure things out. I shook my head. Ginny waited, knowing I would tell her eventually. She had the patience of a saint, sometimes, and often times it worked to her advantage because she knew that if she waited long enough, people would talk. It wasn't a bad thing necessarily. Sometimes she did it because, well like me for instance, some people needed to talk and so she would sit and wait until they talked, letting them get it all out.

I sighed, settling back into the couch before starting. "It's Ron." Ginny's head whipped up to meet mine. No backing out now. "Ever since that kiss we had in the middle of the war, he seems to think that we're a couple, which I'm fine with, but at the same time I'm not. I feel like it's moving all too fast for me. I had to grow up too fast with the impending war and now that it's over, I just want to sit back and relax, but I don't think Ron gets that. I'm sure if the circumstances were different I'd be more okay with it all, but it's just too much for me right now." It was quiet for a minute as Ginny processed what I was saying.

"Wow." I looked up at Ginny. I was actually kind of scared of what she was going to say. This was her brother we were talking about. "Well, I'm not sure what to say and I don't think that I can really comment on this 'cause it's all up to you in the end Hermione. But I will say this. Maybe you need to take a break. Tell Ron that you need to get away for awhile and just figure things out. You wouldn't have to explain anything to him because it's really not his business. Maybe go to Australia to find your parents and spend some time with them before coming back with them. The only thing I ask is that if you do decide to go find your parents, please talk to an adult in the Order. I'm not talking about Ron or Harry. I mean Kingsley or my parents because even though the war is over, there's still Death Eaters out there and I know that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I would feel better if an adult was in on this because maybe they could help you find your parents." I was about to answer her when she cut me off. "You don't have to answer right now. In fact don't. You need to think about this." I closed my mouth and nodded. "Thanks Ginny." Ginny waved me off and pulled me in for another hug. "It was nothing. That's what best friends do. Now come on, we've got a castle to fix." I smiled as i let her drag me out of the room to go find Harry and Ron.

It was a couple of days later and we were all at the burrow, relaxing after a long week of repairing. Harry and Ron were in the middle of an intense game of Exploding Snap and Ginny was sitting by Harry, her arms wrapped around him, watching. Everyone seemed busy so I went into the kitchen. I had thought over what Ginny had said and it made perfect sense. So I was going to do it. Step one, talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

I found Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen, like usual, cooking up a storm. She noticed me as soon as I came in. "Hermione dear! How are you? Do you need anything?" I shook my head, sitting down at the table, noticing Mr. Weasley was also there reading the Prophet. "I'm good Mrs. Weasley, thanks." She smiled. "It's no problem dear and call me Molly." I smiled. Mrs. Weasley was always trying to get me to call her Molly, but it just didn't feel right to me. I sat at the table a little longer, before summoning my Gryffindor courage. Here goes nothing.

"Can I talk to you Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?" Mr. Weasley looked up from the Prophet and folded it up, setting it on the table in front of him. Mrs. Weasley turned from what she was cooking, made sure it wouldn't burn and walked over towards the table, sitting down by her husband. Before I began, I took out my wand and cast a Muffliato and a couple other charms to keep the others out. I turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were looking at me curiously. "Sorry, it's just I haven't told anyone about this and I'd rather not tell it to everyone yet." They looked at each other before nodding, my cue to begin. And I did. I told them everything, well everything about my parents, and when I finished, I felt a whole lot better. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other and took a couple minutes to process and breathe. "Wow. Hermione, that's quite a heavy load, but we're thankful you told us. Now, I'm assuming that you want to go to Australia and find your parents and bring them back, right?" I nodded and Mr. Weasley continued. "Well, I'm going to talk to Kingsley about this, if that's alright," I nodded. "You probably already assumed this, but you're not going to be going to Australia by yourself. There's still many Death Eaters on the loose and while you are more than capable of protecting yourself, Molly and I would rest easier knowing you had someone with you." I nodded again. Ginny had already hashed this out, being very firm in her stance. "I know that you would probably like to leave at the earliest convenience, and we will try to make that happen, but the earliest probably won't be for another couple of weeks. So for the moment, just relax and take some time to prepare and get ready. I'll talk to Kingsley about it and we'll let you know once we've figured it all out." I nodded again, my eyes beginning to water. I was going to get my parents back. I stood up and walked over to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley giving them each a hug. "Thank you both so much." Mrs. Weasley smiled at me. "It's nothing dear. We'd do anything for our adopted daughter." I smiled and gave a weak watery laugh, giving Mrs. Weasley a hug again. She released me, shooing me out of the kitchen telling me to go rest up before dinner. My smile was more free and real as I walked back to the living room. It was actually going to be happening. I was getting my parents back.

I told Ginny about it later that night and she squealed before pulling me in for a hug. "Oh Hermione I'm so happy for you!" I laughed as she began to dance around the room. This little burst of happiness was just what the doctor ordered.

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 **There you have it! Chapter 1 of an amazingly long journey… Well, hopefully not too long. I promise I will try to finish Chapter 11 of the Jily as soon as possible, but do keep in mind that I have finals and will be studying my butt off. Anyways, please Review!**

 **~ . .kids**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize… If I did, I certainly wouldn't be drowning in student loans…**

 **Please R &R!**

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As Mr. Weasley had said, Kingsley was informed of the situation. He readily agreed to help me, but warned me that it probably wouldn't be for another couple of weeks as most of their auror staff was out searching for the few remaining death eaters. So while I was waiting to hear back from Kingsley, I busied myself with helping the Weasleys. Molly had begun to teach me household and cooking charms, and soon I was helping Molly cook the meals the Weasleys ate. I would go over to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to help Fred and George repair their shop and replenish their supplies. Occasionally, I helped the twins figure out how to make a new product or better an old one. Ginny and I could often be found out and wandering the grounds around the Burrow or watching as Harry and Ron played one-on-one Quidditch. I wasn't still sure where Ron and I stood relationship wise and I wasn't entirely sure I could get an answer out of him.

It was coming up to July and I still hadn't heard back from Kingsley. Though a lot of his time was taken up with trying to locate and arrest the remaining death eaters. It wasn't till mid-July that I finally got a response from Kingsley. He had come over to the Burrow one afternoon on the pretense that he had things to discuss with Mr. Weasley as I still didn't want everyone else finding out about this quite yet.

"Well, Hermione. I've been trying to figure out if I can release any aurors to go with you to Australia, but at the moment they are all out on missions locating the last death eaters and aren't expected back for at least a month. The only other option that you have would be to have a few members of the Order go with you down to Australia to retrieve your parents. If you decide to go with the Order, you could leave by the end of the week. If you decide to go with the aurors, it probably won't be till September that you can get your parents and I was under the impression that you were considering going back to Hogwarts to finish up your 7th year." I nodded. "So, that really only leaves you with the Order option if that is okay with you." I nodded again. I was almost bouncing in my seat. I was going to get my parents back!

"Now, I've already talked to two Order members about accompanying you to Australia and they've agreed to go with you."

"Harry and Ron?" It would be like our time on the run, except not as stressful and we'd actually be prepared. Kingsley gave me a sad smile before continuing. "Unfortunately, as Harry and Ron were never an official part of the Order and trained to be a part of the Order, we can't let them go with you. I know that this would be something similar to what you three did this past year, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and myself would feel a lot better if you were accompanied by someone who had been trained by the Order." Oh. I sunk slightly in my seat. The only Order members I could think of were dead. Tonks, Remus, Mad-Eye… I turned my attention back to Kingsley. "Who?" He gave a wry smile. "Fred! George!" What.

I turned, shocked, when I heard footsteps enter the kitchen. "You called dear Kingsley." They sat down at the kitchen table with Kingsley and I, sitting across from each other. "Gred,"

"and Forge,"

"at your service Miss Granger." But… they… how… what? "Fred and George were the only two Order members available to escort you to Australia. Mr. Weasley is currently tied up at work, Charlie is back in Romania, Percy is also tied up at work, Bill has his family and Molly is watching over all of you guys." I sat there still in shock. "But," I turned to look at Fred and George, "what about your shop? Aren't you supposed to be opening up again soon?"

"Well, we were supposed to, but the Ministry said that we couldn't open up until Diagon Alley was back up and under the protections it was before the war. That's going to take awhile so we won't be opening up for another 3 or 4 months. So we really have nothing to do right now besides make products and invent. So don't worry 'Mione, you're not inconveniencing us." Fred gave me smile and put his hand on my knee, giving it a small squeeze before releasing it. George sat there smirking. "What better way to spend out time than with our favorite Gryffindor Princess, who also happens to be one-third of the trio and an excellent inventor." He gave me a wink, making me blush. Kingsley just sat there, chuckling under his breath.

"So it's settled then." Fred, George and I all looked at one another and nodded. "Now, I've arranged for an international portkey to take you all to Australia this Saturday, so you have 3 days to prepare." Kingsley then turned to me. "I would suggest you take this time to see if you can find out anything about your parents whereabouts. If you need, I'm sure you could enlist the help of Fred and George. Good luck." With that, Kingsley headed back to the Ministry to go work on a new law that they were trying to pass.

"So Granger." I turned to look at George. "What do Fred and I here need to pack for this little rendezvous?" I rolled my eyes. Of course George would make this out to be a date. "Preferably clothes, George and anything else that you'll be needing on a day to day basis." I didn't like the gleam that was in George's eye. It usually meant that he was up to no good. He probably pack some of his joke things that he and Fred had been working on for the shop and they would "accidentally" find their way into my parents belongings. "George... " I looked up at him warily as he pretended to be confused and offended. "What?" I shook my head, giggling. "Don't even think about it." George put a hand to his chest and gasped. "Fred, can you believe that she is accusing me of planning something? The horror!" He shuddered causing me to giggle more. Fred just smiled and shook his head.

"If you two don't mind, I'm going to go start trying to figure out where my parents are. I'll see you Saturday? Or maybe sometime before hand if you two show up here?" The twins nodded, George still trying to "recuperate" from my accusation. As I was leaving the kitchen Fred called out. "'Mione!" I turned back. "What time should we get here Saturday." "Well, Kingsley didn't say a time for Saturday. I'll owl him and once I know I'll let you two know." Fred nodded and waved goodbye. I waved back and headed out of the kitchen.

Ginny found me up in our room packing and going over my list. "Hermione, I'm sure you haven't forgotten anything. Relax. It's not like you won't be able to go out and get whatever you've forgotten." I smiled, putting my list on my bed. "It will be a lot harder to get the books I need down there I'm sure of it. And it doesn't hurt to check several times." Ginny just shook her head. It went quiet for a bit as we just enjoyed each other's company. It had been busy the last couple of days with everyone still trying to settle into a semblance of a normal routine. We hadn't really gotten to talk since I told her about my parents.

"Have you made a decision then?" There was the heavy question I had been thinking about since I found out I was going to get my parents back. "Yeah, I have." Ginny slid off of her bed and over to mine, draping her arm across my shoulders. "And?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to end it." It was quiet for a bit before I continued talking, knowing Ginny would want to know why. "It's too soon after the war. I'm still trying to recuperate and Ron isn't really helping with that. I just don't think he gets how traumatizing that whole ordeal was. I think he and Harry just expect me to bounce back and be the Hermione they've always known. The one that's brave and outgoing, willing to do anything for them, but right now, I feel more like a Hufflepuff than Gryffindor." I could feel the tears running down my face. It was funny how warm they were when I felt so cold on the inside.

Ginny pulled me into a hug, smoothing down my hair, letting me cry. "I'm sorry, Hermione. No one can ever understand what you went through that night and it's horrible that they just expect you to get over it just like that. Especially when Ron is still recovering from Fred's scare and his time in the hospital. Maybe this trip is just what you need. To get away from it all and recover. You might not go back to 100%, but you'll get there eventually. And while you're gone, I'll talk some sense into Harry who will hopefully talk some sense into Ron." I chuckled at her last comment before returning her hug. "Thanks, Ginny." She rubbed my back as she hugged me. "No problem Hermione. That's what friends are for."

Saturday came too fast. I had spent Thursday and Friday trying to talk to Ron, but he kept brushing me off to be with Harry. The twins and my portkey was scheduled for noon, so my plan was to corner Ron and talk to him before then and if Harry had to witness this, then he would.

I found them up in Ron's room discussing something. I stood in the doorway for a while just watching them. It was a couple minutes before they noticed that I was standing in the doorway. Ron was the one to call out. "Oh, hey 'Mione." I gave a small smile, or maybe it was a grimace. I didn't like how the nickname sounded coming from Ron. "Hey guys." I moved to sit on the bed next to Harry. "Harry, would you mind if I talked to Ron. Alone."

"Not at all." Harry got up and left, kissing me on my head, and then it was just Ron and myself. We sat there in an awkward silence for a while. The speech I had prepared suddenly escaping my memory, leaving me with nothing.

"Ron," my voice was quiet. Quieter than I had expected. "I need to tell you something, but I need you to promise me that you will let me get all the way through with speaking before you say anything." I looked at him expectantly, waiting for his response. He nodded and I began. "I obliviated my parents before the war and now I've been given the opportunity to fix it and bring them back. Kingsley is sending me with two members of the Order down to Australia so I can get them." He nodded. "When are you leaving?" I bit my lip and looked at my feet. "Today." That's when it started.

"Today?! You're leaving today and saw fit to tell me now?!" Ron was standing up now, his fists clenched and his face turning more and more red. I glared right back at him. "I would have told you sooner Ronald, but you were always brushing me off to go off with Harry. Don't put this on me. I could have not told you at all and just left, but I had to tell you because there's something else we need to talk about." I knew that I had limited amount of time before he blew up again. "Us, Ron. Ever since the battle and that kiss you have been confusing. Wanting to be near me one second and then distant the next. I'm not sure what you're expecting from me and I'm not even sure what I want." Ron was angry and very much red. "Oh, it's all my fault. What about you Hermione? Every time I try to get close you push me away like I'm some filth. Maybe the problem isn't me, maybe it's you." I shifted on Harry's bed and was sure the entire Burrow could hear us.

"Maybe I am part of the problem Ron, but have you ever considered that I may be struggling with coping with what happened during the war? Sure you almost lost a brother and you spent a lot of time in the hospital, but you aren't the only one who faced problems because of the war. I was tortured Ron. Tortured to the brink of insanity by the same mad women who put Neville's parents in St. Mungo's. She used the Cruciatus curse on me dozens of times, beat me, and used a cursed knife to write a derogatory racial slur into my arm." At this point, I reached for my sleeve and pulled it back showing him the mudblood scar. "If it weren't for Fleur's care for me during our time at Shell Cottage I might be in St. Mungo's right now, next to Neville's parents, but even then I still didn't get time to fully recover from it. You want to know the reason why I constantly flinch when you come up behind me? Because I think it's her coming to continue the torture even though she's dead. I began pushing you away because you would crowd my space and it would make me anxious and I would begin to panic. There isn't a night that goes by where I don't have nightmares about it Ronald. So yes, please feel free to blame all of our problems on me because I suffered nothing during the war. I'm just the brains that kept you and Harry alive long enough to get to the Battle of Hogwarts. I'm just the one that made sure we were adequately prepared for the mission. I'm just your pedestal girlfriend who should be groveling at your feet because you suffered a concussion with broken bones. Grow up Ronald. The world doesn't revolve around you and you aren't the only one who's suffering right now. Look around at your friends and family. They are all struggling with coming to terms with what happened during the war, but no. Little precious Ronniekins only cares about himself and is quick to make sure others are also only caring about him. News-flash Ronald, life doesn't happen the way you want it to and if you think for one second that I will be your pretty arm thing, you've got another thing coming. I'm done Ronald. Done with this joke of a relationship."

I was fuming as I stormed out of Ron's room. I slammed the door shut behind me, wandlessly locking it with several advanced locking spells. I walked into the kitchen where the rest of the Weasley's, Harry and Kingsley were. I looked over at the clock the Weasley's had and noticed that there was an hour and a half before the twins and I were leaving. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a walk." No one bothered to stop me as I walked out of the Burrow and in my blind rage, I ended up walking towards the pond. I sat down at the edge of the small pier and began to cry. The past few minutes had gone completely wrong. I didn't want to leave on bad terms with Ron, but he could be so difficult and self-centered. I hadn't meant to tell him (and basically everyone else that was in the burrow) that I still felt as though she was going to come back for me; that I still had nightmares about the whole ordeal. I didn't want them to see me as weak, but with everything laid out, there was nothing I could do.

I'm not sure how long I sat out there, long enough to stop crying and to begin thinking about random, time-consuming things. My thoughts were broken by the creak of the wood of the pier and I whirled around, wand out to find Fred standing there looking panicked and with his arms held up. "Woah there Hermione." I lowered my wand, staring at the pier sheepishly. "Sorry. I thought you were-" "I know." I turned back around and sat down again, feeling the wood bend and creak as Fred sat down next to me. We sat in silence, listening to the sounds of the pond. The frogs croaking, the birds chirping from their perches in the trees, the whistle of the wind dancing between tree limbs and leaves, the lap of the water as it brushed up against the pier.

"I have a question." I turned and looked at Fred, waiting to be interrogated about what happened at the manor. "What spells did you put on Ron's door?" He turned and looked at me, a bemused twinkle in his eye. "Uh… Well, I actually don't know. I was so mad when I left the room that I ended up locking it wandlessly, probably because of how angry I was. Why?"

"Wandlessly?" Fred was looking at me in what could be described as shock or fear. "You were so mad that you wandlessly locked a door."

"Uh, yeah. I guess." Fred stared at me for a little bit longer before turning back to the pond. "You, Hermione Granger, are a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention completely terrifying when you are angry." Fred chuckled and shook his head. We returned to our comfortable silence, just the two of us and the pond.

Their silence was interrupted by footsteps. "Hey you two. Mum wants you guys to come back to Burrow. Something about supplies before we go." Fred looked over at me. "Guess it's almost time to leave. You still want to go?" I nodded. "Yeah. I need to go." Fred stood up, and then helped me up and we walked back to the Burrow with George.

Mrs. Weasley was bustling around the kitchen when we made it back. Harry and Ginny were sitting at the table talking quietly. Mr. Weasley and Kingsley were talking to each other in a corner of the kitchen. I assumed that Ron was still stuck in his room.

"Oh good. George found you." Mrs. Weasley brought over my bag, handing it to me. "Now, I've packed some food in here that should last you for awhile. There's also some dry ingredients in there just in case." She stopped in front of me, bracing her hands on my arms. "Are you sure you want to do this Hermione?" I nodded, repeating what I had said to Fred just a little while earlier. "I have to. I need to." Mrs. Weasley nodded and hugged me tight. "Be safe Hermione." She pulled back and looked over my shoulder at the twins. "And I don't want to hear that you two have done something stupid." George and Fred looked at each other shocked and slightly offended. "Us? Never." Mrs. Weasley just shook her head, moving out of the way so Harry and Ginny could say their goodbyes. "You'll write won't you?" I nodded. "Of course, Ginny." Harry hugged me and, like Mrs. Weasley, told me to be safe.

Kingsley handed me our portkey, a hairbrush. "This will get you three to Australia and back here when you've found your parents. Just say _Portus_ when you are ready to return and it will bring you back." I took the hairbrush, thanking him. "Also, we have a few aurors down there looking for death eaters. I've informed them that you three are coming and should you need it, you are welcome to contact them for help. As with every other mission, code is 'Wonderful weather this morning isn't it? Yes, but I always carry an umbrella'. Good luck." I nodded, thanking him again and turned to the twins.

We all grabbed hold of the hairbrush as we felt the familiar tug and then we had left the Burrow behind and were standing in the living room of what I supposed was going to be our home for the next while. I was in Australia. I was going to find my parents.

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